Mine Design and Planning

The mine planning process determines which portion of the ore body will be extracted, considering the extraction method and when it will be processed

Long-term or strategic planning is an interdisciplinary process that consider the definition of the economic envelope, the best alternative for the mining method and the operational design, the extraction sequence, and the economic evaluation. Together, the process defines the mineral reserves and the economic benefit of the project.

During the process of design and sequencing of the mine, geomechanics plays a leading role validating and/or predicting risks associated to mine design and planning. Thus, the study of constitutive models of rock mass, the behavior of broken material under different stress conditions and timing along with new techniques are vital. Consequently optimizing the economic envelope and the mining sequence to increase the real value of the mining business.

Researchers

• Prof. Raúl Castro
• Prof. Luis Felipe Orellana
• Prof. Kimie Suzuki
• Prof. Javier Vallejos
• Prof. Juan Luis Yarmuch